The View from Scopa Towers

So here I am in Walt Disney World and I thought I'd share my trip experiences with you for the main purpose of helping you plan your next trip to Walt Disney World.

I'll reflect on some things that work for me that save me money, time, and stress. Call them tips if you like.

I'll also mention a few interesting things I have noticed on this trip that you may want to look for or experience on your next trip.

The Early Bird

Yes I am an early bird. I take the ealiest flight I can. Why? Well if I plan on taking a later flight there is a better chance of that flight being delayed simply because of the domino effect that occurs when flights are delayed.

Also, for some reason early morning flights seem to make better time than the later ones.

Join the Club

If you rent a car while in Orlando always try to join that car agencies club or whatever allows you to bypass the counter.

As we rolled along with our luggage Carol saw the line at the National Car counter and said, "Yikes! Look at that line!" She forgot i was an Emerald Aisle member. We went right up and grabbed our car and was off.

How much time did this save? Well we were rolling our luggage into our room at Pop Century approxiamately 75 minutes after our plane touched down in Orlando.

It is well worth it to do whatever you can to save time.

As an Annual Passholder (and I realize not everyone is) I always try to get AP rates for the room. This vacation has me spliting my time between Pop Century (I know...blasphemy...but Pop Century should not complain...i'm approaching my 100th night there) and Port Orleans French Quarter...both with AP rates.

Another AP advantage is the Disney Dining Experience card which offers me a 20% discount at most of the sit-down restaurants and also Everything Pop (Pop Century's foodcourt).

When we got to the TTC we took the Admiral Joe Fowler Ferry to The Magic Kingdom

Here's a few topiaries for you to look for on your next trip to the Magic Kingdom.

The Haunted Mansion

Now look at this photo...tells you that Haunted Mansion is really closed for refurbishing erh?

However, Master Gracey left us this note...

...which informs us that he's traveling the netherworld in search of new spirits.

Here's another picture of the Haunted Mansion "under wraps" and going through a face change.

Keep yer fingers crossed that this attraction will be up and running in 6-8 weeks.

Be on the Lookout for...

Here's something for you to look for the next time you ride the Magic Kingdom riverboat. Look for the dog standing in this boat and watching this fish jump out of the water...and I mean this fish does jump out of the water.

I have two other bits of information to share with you before I end this very long day.

The next time you visit the Carrousel of Progress you may want to check out each scene very carefully. One of them includes an image of Mickey as the Sorceror's Apprentice...but which one? And where in the scene is this image?

Finally, the next time you are in The Magic Kingdom and you see this sign in front of the City Hall...

...please take it with a grain of salt.

I suggest that you both call Disney Dining and also take a chance and walk up to the restaurant's podium and check for an opening. It actually works more often that you would think.

That's it for now. See you next time everyone.

Travel days take a lot out of me. The proof was that I didn’t wake up until 6:45 Monday morning…at the time I’m usually just back from my morning run…not on this morning.

What was worse was that I closed my eyes and didn’t really wake up until 8:30.

We had breakfast at Chef Mickey’s with several of our friends.

We celebrated two birthdays.

Here are some exclusive pictures I took of the current DVC work going on where the old Contemporary North Garden wing used to be. The work has only just begun.

For those of you who used to visit the Belz outlet it’s now the Prime Outlet.

There are some unusual stores like…

..and like….

…I was in the market for some new running trunks so I visited this store...

The Disney Character Warehouse store was not open yet….arrrrrggggh!

We then went to the Premium Outlets to visit the Disney Character Premium store.

Hey…I know someone who would be interested in this merchandise they were selling….

…do you know of whom I speak?

From there we shot over to Publix to get a case of water for our room.

From there we went over to Disney’s Animal Kingdom to catch the afternoon parade.

By the way….the ice tea sold at the quick-service restaurants comes in sugar and sugar-free but not is decaffeinated.

We had a dinner ADR at Boma and weren’t sure if it would be too late for us to return to DAK for EMH but we got our bands anyway.

As it turned out after Boma we thought it best to go to MGM.

MGM was very crowded.

Here’s some homework….next time you’re in MGM look for this billboard.

Make that two assignments….look for this Mickey Mouse rocking horse too.

Here’s a clue…

We did a few things in MGM and finished the night watching Fantasmic…always entertaining.

By the way, speaking of Fantasmic, I no longer do the Fantasmic dinner package because I think that the prices are a bit much. So I eat at my favorite MGM restaurant about 2 hours before the Fantasmic show time and then head over to the Hollywood Hills about an hour before the show.

We had left center seats, about 15 rows up.

Tips that come to mind from today…

• Don’t go by the printed schedules you pick up at the parks. If there is a greeter board, like the one at the beginning of Sunset Blvd. check that for late changes in the park. For instance, today the printed schedule said MGM was holding only one showing of Fantasmic…the board said otherwise….so check the boards.

• Also, have you ever made an ADR (Advanced dining Reservation) yet was hungry an hour before the time of your ADR? Well, if it’s just the two of you then you have a very good chance of having your ADR moved up…just show up at the restaurant and ask if your time can be moved up.

As I write this entry the weathermen down here are starting to mention the possibility of a hurricane hitting Florida sometime late this weekend. If so I’ll be here to report it.

It’s time for me to head over to Deb’s blog to see how her Southwest Adventures are going.

That’s all for now.

Help, I’m beginning to panic. I woke up at 4:30 Tuesday morning. Hmmm, too early to run. I’ll just close my eyes and then wake up at 5:30 and then go out and run.

Big mistake.

It’s been almost five days since my last run and I need to run Wednesday morning…but we have an 8:10 ADR at Donald’s Breakfastsaurus…..yes I’m panicking but anyway….

…we headed to EPCOT this morning and here’s an up to date picture on the state of Spaceship Earth…at least regarding Mickey’s Arm and wand…

…yep…practically gone.

A Soarin'

We headed over to Soarin’ and as always, I head over to the leftmost FastPass distribution box and that box is never crowded.

I noticed the huge pictures in the queue area had changed quite a lot. See for yourself.

After we got the FastPasses We got into line and hen we got to the loading area we ASKED to sit in the top row…we were guided to the next area and we were top center row…cool

After our first ride we needed to burn 30 minutes so we did “Living with the Land” and that attraction no longer has a Cast member riding with you.

Get a load of this…

We returned to Soarin'; and Carol AGAIN asked for the top row. This time not only did we get top row center but I was sitting in seat #6. That is the best seat in the house folks.

So there’s your second tip of the day…if it looks like you can get into the top row then ask.

We then did the Nemo attraction at the Living Seas. We got a kick out of this t-shirt

A Sailing

After Nemo I called my buddy Matthew from Reedy Creek emergency Services. Carol and I had plans to spend some time with Matthew and his fiancée Kristen today.

We planned to meet at DTD and take a pontoon ride to Old Key West.

As Carol and I left EPCOT we cut through Innoventions.

Now here’s a Segway I’d like to try.

We met Matthew and Kristen at the Marina at DTD and we took off for Old Key West. On a pontoon boat like this one which was docked at the Old key West Marina.

Along the way we past Saratoga Springs and Port Orleans

It was a nice comfortable quiet boat ride. It was refreshing too because the high for the day in Orlando set a new record…98 degrees.

We helped, or I should say Matt and Kristen (they both work for Reedy Creek Emergency services) helped a woman whose small boat kind of conked out on her.

Kristen edged the pontoon boat close to the woman’s boat and Matt got her boat working again.

We returned and had lunch at the Rainforest Café before heading our separate ways.

We made arrangements to get together again next week

Carol and I checked the stores.

Here’s a homework assignment. Where in DTD can you find a bee’s nest with bees?

We then headed back to EPCOT and took in American Adventure. I was very curious about the new “Golden Dream” and I was not disappointed. As much as I would like to say they just tweaked it I’d have to say it was more than a tweak and it will move you even more than its predecessor.

Also, look for a slight change to the ending of the AA attraction after ‘Golden Dream”

AA is my favorite WDW attraction.

I’m always the last one to leave the theater.

A Soaking

As we made our way around World Showcase everyone jumped as without notice a huge crack of thunder came out of nowhere. We were surprised because half the sky was sunny…we didn’t notice what was behind us.

Then the rains came ans we got soaked.

Here’s proof that half the sky was rainy and the other half sunny.

We watched Illuminations and it looks as though the video globe has been given some enhancements.

I took some pictures but they don’t do the globe justice so here’s a token torch picture.

We checked out Mouse Gear before leaving the park.

Hmmmm, I kept seeing the following logo on a lot of merchandise…

…could this be the new EPCOT logo?

We’ll see.

That was it for Tuesday.

Arrgghhh....slept until 6:36 and since we had an early ADR at Donald's Breakfastosaurus another morning went by the boards without me running. Not good.

Anyway, we headed out to Disney's Animal Kingdom and made our way to Donald's.

Here's me...awake for only an hour, with Mr. Goofy.

We left breakfast and went to see Festival of the Lion King. It's always a joy to see this show and a great first attraction of the day.

We then went to see "Nemo - The Musical."

I've heard that people who have seen this show either love it or hate it. Those who dislike the show complain that they don't like to see the puppeteers. However, I think that's the charm of the show.

The larger puppets were amazing to see, especially Crush.

When you see this attraction my advice would be to sit in the rear portion of the theater, behind that main aisle. Otherwise you will miss some very entertaining parts of the show.

Again, the main charm is seeing the performers do their thing.

We then decided to leave DAK and head over to the Studios to catch a few attractions there.

The first order of the day in MGM was Beauty & The Beast. I know. I know. You're thinking, "Okay Mike, where's the gazillion pictures of Belle in her blue dress?" Well, I don't know. I just watched the show.

I've noticed over the last two years that the performing Belle for this attraction is always short, perhaps to emphasize the size difference between her and the Beast!.

From there we went over to the ABC theater steps to watch the "Stars and MotorCars" parade.

The middle sections of those steps are reserved for those who are hearing challenged and there are two people who "sign" the sounds of Stone Granite, Gabriel Huffington (I think that's her name) and other parade sounds to these special guests.

We saw Remy in the parade.

Oh yeah, these guys too.

We then saw the High School Musical Pep Rally, that is before the rain cut it short.

A word about this show, if you are a High School Musical purist you may not particularly enjoy the show as the performers put their own personalities into the songs which I noticed bothered some of the guests.

However there are those who loved the show and these guests, mostly the pre-teens, seem to be quite fanatical towards this show.

Before I forget, here is a homework assignment. Now where can you find this in MGM?

Also, this...

We then had dinner at H&V. Somehow they had us down for two ADRS with one of them being part of the Fantasmic Dinner Package, who knows.

After dinner we got our Extra Magic Hour wristbands.

We then took in the Backlot Tour.

I discovered something. If you sit in the back half of car #5 you will get soaked at Catastrophe Canyon...trust me.

At the AFI Villains portion of the tour...

...I checked on a special Hidden Mickey that Steve Barrett pointed out to me last year.

Consider this another homework assignment and look for this Hidden Mickey on your next trip.

We next did Muppetvision 3-D.

Here's another homework assignment. The next time you visit Muppetvision 3D watch the film very closely ans see if you can find the 3D glasses on the bust of Mozart.

We finished the night taking in Voyage of the Little Mermaid.

We thought about doing The Great Movie Ride and Indy but we were beginning to run out of gas.

Plus I had to write this blog entry.

Boy I hope Deb is using her sunscreen out West.

Looks like no running for me at Pop Century on this trip. Missed it again this morning and tomorrow we move to Port Orleans French Quarter.

Today we got a late start (wrote my blog until 1 A.M.) and went to EPCOT.

We decided to visit Figment first and then we stroled into World Showcase and rode the Gran Fiesta Tour in Mexico.

When you next experience this attraction look for the Donald Duck pinata.

From there we walked around World Showcase and walked right onto The Maelstrom.

We saw drawbridge up to allow the Illuminations barges into the lagoon.

And from another angle...

And of course one of the aforementioned barges.

We made our way to Canada and had lunch at Le Cellier.

We overheard one of the castmembers say that the restaurant was fully booked up to January.

BTW, new Canada film in late September.

After lunch we took in Off Kilter....sans lead singer Jamie Holton who is on vacation.

Hey look...it's Lou Mongello of WDWRadio on the fiddle.

From there we enjoyed Brisith Invasion at the United Kingdom pavilion.

Looks like Food & Wine is already being celebrated at Japan.

We just had to see American Adventure one more time...I almost made it through "Golden Dream" without shedding a tear.

Homework assignment. Where can you find this in World Showcase?

We had dinner at Alfredo's. It would be our last dinner there as the restaurant will be closing at the end of the month.

After dinner we took in Ellen's Universe of Energy and decided to call it an early night for a change.

We got back to Pop Century and I finally visited my favorite spot at the resort, Generation Gap Bridge.

More tomorrow.

Well, the good news is that I woke up early enough on Friday to go out and run. The bad news is that I said to myself, “Let me close my eyes for just another 15 minutes.”

We call that a “mistake.”

Next thing I know its 6:47 and we have an 8:10 ADR at the Grand Floridian Café.

Arrrghhh, another morning without a run.

When we got to the Café they told us that our ADR was for the day before! Huh? First at Hollywood & Vine the night before they had us down for two ADRs at the same time now this!

They honored our time and we had a very nice breakfast. We did not eat everything as we turned down the final course which was Mickey waffles.

We had visits from Tigger, Pooh, Mary Poppins, the Mad Hatter, and Alice.

1900 Park Fare will soon reopen. Our server said that they are hoping that the new 1900 Park Fare will open in late September and it will be able to serve even more guests as the restaurant will be bigger.

We left the Grand Floridian and headed back to Pop Century to do our final packing as we were moving to Port Orleans French Quarter.

We didn’t think our room was going to be ready but surprise, surprise it was.

We tossed our bags onto the bed, stashed our water in the frig, and headed over to the Magic Kingdom.

As we entered the town square I scooted over to City Hall to ask for a birthday button for Carol and also a brochure for the Pirate & Princess Party.

We are not going until Tuesday evening but it’s never too early to plan how best to navigate the park for this party.

There are some general guidelines I suggest to families going to any of the MK parties, be it Pirate and Princess, Mickey’s not So Scary, or Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.

Here they are:

• First and foremost grab a party brochure a day or two before going to the party.

• Review the brochure and put together a plan as to how you will navigate the park during the party.

• Get your MK attraction fix the day before the party because you don’t want to put attraction touring at the top of your list…remember, you are paying extra to get into the park at this time for the special events…not the attractions.

• If possible do the Extra Magic Hour Evening the night before the party. Stay out late because you really should think about sleeping in on the morning of the party.

• Take it easy in the morning, perhaps go to DisneyQuest for a few hours, and then have an early dinner, say no later than 5 P.M.

• Wear a watch with a lighted dial so you can keep track of the time.

• Try to arrive at the Magic Kingdom at least 30 minutes before the start of the party.

• If you can, do the later scheduled events such as a show or a parade because it will be less crowded than the earlier ones.

• Plan any attraction touring around the special events. That is, if you can fit in Big Thunder Mountain or Pirates of the Caribbean around your schedule then go for it. Remember that you are paying for these special events so make sure you get the most of the party.

The last few days have been somewhat hot and we have felt the need to hydrate as often as possible. We grabbed light lemonade at Casey’s.

We then made our way over to Adventureland to finally ride Pirates. The wait time was about 75 minutes. No thanks.

We rode Aladdin’s Magic Carpet and then took in the Tiki Room.

There was a guest sitting next to us who had what looked like baby who was no more than a few weeks old.

Not only was the baby probably the youngest person to se the Tiki room, he/she may have been one of the few chosen to be nursed by his mom too….yes…but discreetly.

Homework Assignment: next time you're in The Magic Kingdom look for this sight.

Pirates was still full so we visited the Country Bears.

We then watched the “Disney Dreams Come True” parade.

It was getting close to our Crystal Palace ADR time so we strolled over to Main Street and looked in the shops.

I was selected by a cast member to participate in the flag lowering ceremony. Unfortunately I am not a veteran so I had to turn them down.

Dinner was at Crystal Palace.

After dinner we watched the castle show…twice.

We then took in the Hall of Presidents. It’s a favorite of Carol’s because it was one of the first attractions we ever saw. Back in the mid-70’s when the HoP opened it was FREE. Back then you used tickets A thru E and HoP was free for a whole year.

From the presidents we went to Mickey’s Philharmagic.

Then we got our wristbands for EMH and then took in Small World.

Are you as tired as we were becoming?

We grabbed lemonade and made our way to Tomorrowland. We rode the TTA and when we got into the Space Mountain potion of the ride all of a sudden the lights in Space Mountain came on…pretty spooky.

We asked to stay on the ride and we rode it again and once again got to see the insides of Space Mountain.

Then the TTA broke down for about 10 minutes…seemed it was not the night to be in Tomorowland.

We headed to Main Street to watch “Wishes.” About 4 minutes into the show someone tapped me on the shoulder and asked me to move because his girl friend could not see.

Huh?

I was stunned at first but decided to hold my tongue and I stood behind Carol instead of next to her.

As I stood there watching:”Wishes” I thought, “Okay, now what do I do if I’m blocking someone else’s view?

Gee, do I ask the dad in front of me to take his son of his shoulders because I can’t see?

Carol had a good point. No one is tall enough to block the fireworks; she wanted to see the castle.

I’m such a softie.

After the fireworks we headed to a special spot to watch Spectromagic, the late parade.

It’s been some months since I’ve seen Spectro but I noticed the Spectro Men are gone, and I could have sworn the three fairy godmothers used to be on one float not three separate floats and finally Chernobog’s horses used to be all one color…blur, right? Now they are different colors.

Wow, it was late. My day was already 18 hours long and it wasn’t over. Also, my aching ankle, yes the one I broke during the 2006 WDW half-Marathon was talking to me and saying, “Mike, I thought we had an agreement. I would give you no problem while running if you refrained from walking on me in excess of 12 hours a day!”

He had me there.

We went over to Pirates. There was no line….because the attraction was down.

So we decided it was time to call it a day.

We got back to our room around 1:15 A.M. and found this waiting for us.

It is a very thoughtful birthday gift to Carol from some very dear friends and I thought I'd just post a picture before we "made use" of this wonderful gift.

Thank you dear friends. You know who you are!

So now you know why this blog entry is a little late.

More tomorrow.

Put your hands together because I actually got out of bed on this morning at around 5:30, put on my running gear and went out at 5:45 to run around the resort.

It had been at least a week since my last workout and I had no idea what to expect. My whole body was screaming at me until I hit Alligator Bayou over at Port Orleans Riverside.

I ended up running a bit over 40 minutes and felt great at the end of the run. However I am definitely behind schedule for the Tower of Terror 13K and when I return home I will be working hard to train for that race.

I had finished my run, showered, and got dressed in time for us to shoot over to EPCOT for Extra Magic Hour Morning

Here’s the latest on the deconstruction of Mickey’s arm/wand from Spaceship Earth.

There were two lines to get into EPCOT. We got into the line on the right side…it went almost to the bus depot….want to see?

The lines moved fairly fast.

Once we got in we went over to Soarin’ and grabbed a FastPass and then went in line. For the third time in a row Carol got us top row center. I may have to start renting her out to folks who want that top row center experience.

After Soarin’ we had a light breakfast and then rode “Living with the Land” to kill some time before using our Soarin’ FPs.

This time our luck ran out and we ended up center but second row instead of top row.

By the way, the next time you experience Soarin’ I suggest you watch the screen very carefully. If you count only 8 hot air balloons then you are not watching close enough.

If you do not see six fighter jets then you are not watching closely enough.

We walked over to see Nemo and Crush. Does anyone else out there just love that Starfish?

From there we went over to visit Figment. We took in “Honey I Shrunk the Audience" since it was the Imagination Institute’s annual....

We then walked back to the Land for lunch at the Garden Grill. We were early so we watch “Circle of Life” first.

Then we had lunch with farmer Mickey…

After lunch we visited Innoventions. We checked out the Rockin’ Robots…

…we played that IBM game and that pizza game (think goodness it was virtual pizza) and a few other things before checking out Mouse Gear. You never know when a neat new WDW shirt will show up.

Now since this was a surprise birthday trip for Carol I tried to get ADRs for all of her favorite restaurants. In order to do so I had to sometimes book meals a bit close together….like a late lunch and early dinner.

This was one of those days. We tried to eat light for lunch because we were going to the Kona Café for dinner.

We got into the car to drive over and when I started the car up look what I saw on my rear view mirror…

That explains the two glasses of ice tea and two glasses of water I had at lunch.

We drove over to the Polynesian Resort. My three favorite resorts are Pop Century, Port Orleans, and the Polynesian Resort.

Here’s a cute picture.

Look again, the tiki on the left is outside and the tiki on the right is inside.

Did I mention why the Polynesian Resort is one of my favorite resorts? A picture is worth a thousand words.

Let me take this opportunity to put in a good word for the Kona Café. It is one of the better restaurants in all of WDW and especially when it comes to teriyaki ANYTHING.

It is one of the few sit-down restaurants in WDW I love so much I will actually dine there alone when I do solo research trips. The bread is very decadent.

So Carol and I are eating and we are thinking about where to go and what to do next. The heat of the day (remember what the mirror said) had really taken some energy out of us so we decided to return to POFQ and do some laundry and check up on email and try to recoup some of that energy that the sun was draining from us.

Besides tomorrow was Carol’s birthday. You always want to be well refreshed when waking up in WDW on your birthday.

Finally the day came when Carol could “legally” wear her “Happy Birthday” button.

We decided to try something different today so we went to the dock to take the Riverboat Cruise to Downtown Disney, as mentioned on the WDW Today channel in our hotel room.

The CM who was driving the boat asked us where we wanted to go. We actually wanted to go to Downtown Disney. He said, “Well obviously you didn’t read the schedule because the next boat that goes to Downtown Disney leaves in an hour. I’m going to Riverside.”

I almost said, “Well obviously you didn’t read the fine print in your Disney Employee’s Guide as to how to address guests but I’ll make sure that your supervisor won’t forget to remind you to refresh your memory on your customer skills.”

Of course I didn’t say that but would it have hurt him too much to say, “Well folks the next boat to Downtown Disney won’t be here for about an hour but I’d be happy to take you to Riverside.”

Not only that, you think with Carol wearing her birthday button he would have been a bit more dare I say, “cast memberlike?”

We decided to take the boat to Riverside and checked out the General Store.

We decided to walk back to POFQ and drive to Downtown Disney.

We were spending the morning doing our “official shopping” to get a few gifts for friends, and use our 10% discount from our Annual Passes.

We found a few things but not as much as we have in the past.

By the way, I’m amazed at the success of the Bibbidy Bobbidy Boutique.

Next month a second one will open in Cinderella Castle.

We finished our shopping and came back to POFQ to drop off our stuff and grab a little bite to eat. It was that time in the trip when all guests begin to say, “Y’know, I’m not that hungry, but I need a little something.”

After our quickie lunch we headed off to the Magic Kingdom.

We had not really hit Fantasyland yet on this trip so we headed straight for Peter Pan and walked right on thanks to some special Attraction Re-entry passes given to us by a friend.

It was another warm day so we were looking for any relief…and it came in the Carrousel of Progress.
Look for that abstract painting of Mickey as the Sorcerer’s apprentice in the last scene.

We rode the Tomorrowland Transit Authority a few times and then checked out a few shops for some Disney Halloween pins. Carol likes to be the Disney pin teacher at her school and likes to wear a different Disney Halloween pin every year.

We were meeting friends…I’ll keep it a secret for now…at the Contemporary for dinner.

We took the monorail over to the resort and walked around.

Wow, things were happening.

Take a look at the activity we saw just beginning on the fourth floor.

Some new shops are going in and you may have seen the artist renditions in Jack Spence's report earlier this week.

We met up with our dear friends Steve and Vickie Barrett and had a wonderful dinner at the California Grill.

How’s this for a view of the sunset?

The California Grill folks came over and took our photo because of Carol's birthday.

The folks at CG also gave Carol a special birthday dessert.

We had some very high quality time with Steve and Vickie. We had hoped they could stay to watch Wishes with us both both had an early morning and they also had a fairly long drive home. See you at Mousefest guys, if not sooner.

Another view from the CG

We went out on the observation deck to watch Wishes.

The photos I took do not do Wishes justice simply because of the angle from which we watched the nighttime spectacular. Remember that during Wishes there are several sets of fireworks being fired….those around the castle and those from a barge well in the rear of Magic Kingdom. The best angle to watch Wishes is from directly in front of the castle on Main Street USA.

So Carol had a nice birthday.

We’ve been tring to see the Indiana Jones stunt spectacular at the Studios for a ong time.
Thus today we started out in Disney MGM/Studios.

We got off to a late start but it was not an Extra Magic Hour morning for the park and things don’t start “cooking” until mid-morning in that park anyway.

Well, well…look what new addition we found when we walked into the park.

That wasn’t there a day or two ago. Of course I asked around and I was told, “Oh we’re just fixing stuff.” Hmmm, wonder if the High School Musical gig has something to do with this barrier being up.

We checked out a couple of shops, always looking for that interesting souvenir, and then headed to see my favorite Disney princess.

We then grabbed a Fast Pass for Indy and had lunch at the Backlot Express.

As we left I decided to take this photo of the activity going on next to Star Tours.

Next May is going to be a big month for Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando.

I’m always interested is seeing Indy because it always is just a little bit different each time.

Well tonight we are going to the Pirate & Princess Party which is running from 7:30 P.M. to 12:30 A.M.

We decided that it would be wise to get out of the heat and humidity and go back to our room and rest up for tonight’s party.

Of course Carol heeded her own advice and did rest while I spent the afternoon reading and answering email...obviously i did not heed my own advice.

We changed into out party wear…basically I had a shirt with Captain Hook on it and Carol had a shirt with a sparkling skull and cross-bones.

We had an ADR at Trail’s End so we were trying to figure out how best to do this. Should we drive to Fort Wilderness and then take the boat to the party? Hmmmm, that would make for a long time getting back to the car at the end of the night. We’d be taking the boat to Fort Wilderness and then would have to take a bus back to the the parking lot to get to the car.

So we decided to drive to the Magic Kingdom and take a bus from the Ticket and Transportation Center or Magic Kingdom or take a boat from the Magic Kingdom to Fort Wilderness.

It seems like the WDW transportation system is always tweaking with their busses so we were not sure of exactly how our evening would go.

On this particular night we ended up taking the boat from the Magic Kingdom to Fort Wilderness.

We had a pleasant meal at Trail’s End. We always make it a point to visit that restaurant on every trip and for myself on one solo trip I had lunch there three times. It is off the beaten path and that makes for a nice quiet meal. The price makes it one of the best if not the best deal on all of WDW property.

The signs were up for the Pirate and Princess Party.

We received a “Booty Bag” to use to collect the goodies to be given out during the party. The goodies turned out to be either beads or candy.

I found this party to be so much different than the other parties I’ve attended at the Magic Kingdom, namely Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. There did not seem to be as many party events to dissuade us from attempting to do some attraction touring.

In fact our first attraction of the night was Pirates of the Caribbean and before the night was out we would ride this attraction no less than six times with five of those times seeing us have our own boat to ourselves and each visit to the attraction having no wait time at all.

Ladies and Gentlemen again let me say that his is "The Year of a Million Refurbishments"…

We also rode the Magic Carpets of Aladdin, watched a few performances by some CMs doing little shows for the guests, and also collected our "Booty."

We continued to squeeze in some attractions that we had not been able to do previously on the trip. We did Snow White’s Adventure, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, Peter Pan’s Flight, and just about whenever we wanted to and as many times as we wanted to.

All in all we made 18 visits to attractions between 7:30 and 12:30 and we did not miss the special fireworks or the parade.

We watched the fireworks at the top of Main Street USA. The official park lights for the party seemed to be red.

I enjoyed the fireworks more than anything else during the party.

I took this picture of a Hidden Mickey in Mickey’s Star Traders

All through the park there were pirate images.

The parade was somewhat of a disappointment as the term “Pirate and Princess” seemed out of balance during the parade.

I think there was too much princess and not enough pirate references in the parade.

Before I forget, here’s a homework assignment. Can you find this Hidden Mickey in Fantasyland?

Well after the parade, we watched the late parade, we actually rode another six attractions before calling it a night.

Our hosts bid us a good evening with a wave...

...and a sign.

And once again to point out that the primary color for the evening was red or pink....exhibit 'B."

We got back to our room around 1:15 A.M.

Regarding the party, I found it to be not as enjoyable as MNSSHP or MVMCP. The fireworks was good, the parade seemed to need a bit more, and the other lesser events need work. I am not trying to discourage anyone from going to this party. Carol says it is her favorite of the three parties.

So give it a try.

Since we got in real late we got a late start off to our last day.

As always the question is “What do we do on our last day?”

I’m sure for most people there are traditional objectives like perhaps visiting a special park or doing a special attraction or having the last meal at a certain restaurant.

Not for us…at least in recent years.

We went to EPCOT and found the stars gone from Spaceship Earth.

The star spikes were still there.

Carol was still on the lookout for some Halloween pins so we checked a couple of places before taking the Friendship boat to WS.

At Noon we walked up to one of our favorite restaurants…

…and grabbed a reservation for lunch.

We had a five minute wait so we strolled into the shops near the restaurant.

Hey look…princesses...

After lunch we strolled around WS. Carol was hurting. She had developed a blister the size of Spaceship Earth on one of her toes. This would be not only our last day but our shortest day.

There’s always a crowd checking out the trains at Germany.

We visited the American Adventure and of course saw the Voices of Liberty.

The woman on the far left is Deb Johnson. Her husband is Derric Johnson who created the Voices of Liberty and has quite a hand in the vocal arrangements for the Candlelight Processional.

After we watched the American Adventure I scooted around the side to hit the ATM.

Chip & Dale and a few CMs were hamming it up for me.

Oh yes…my favorite Disney character was in France…but was accompanied by some guy who needed a shave real badly.

We watched Off Kilter. Jamie was back….and these guys hammed it up for me too.

Year of a Million Refurbishments: Take 22

Look at these little men they were selling (or should I say NOT selling) in one of the Canada shops.

Our last meal of the trip was dinner at Rose & Crown. Now I have eaten at this restaurant several times and each meal has been decent. There are some WDW restaurants which I associate with certain entrees and I usually will not sway from those entrees.

For example, pot roast at Prime Time, New York strip at Le Cellier, and Teriyaki tips at Kona Café, to name a few…catfish is good at Garden Grill and if possible….turkey stew and crusted salmon at Hollywood & Vine.

Anyway, in recent years I’ve settled on the bangers (sausage) and mash (potatoes) at the Rose and Crown but today I thought I’d try something different so I ordered the Steak and Fish which is described as “Grilled Steak with black and tan demi-glace, Harry Ramsden's Battered fresh cod, green beans and mashed potatoes”

When the entrée showed up at my table it looked to be a very tempting dish. I was pleased with my selection, especially as it was a different entrée that I could say I’ve tried.

Let it be said that on August 22nd, in the year 2007 that I, for the first time in my life, did not clean my plate. As a matter of fact, I ate only one piece of my steak.

It was cooked the way I like it to be cooked but there was something about the taste...that I didn't like....I've had "gamey" tasting meat before but not like this.

I had the beans and potatoes and cod….but the steak remained in my dish when our server, Carrie, returned.

She looked concerned and asked if there was anything wrong. I tried as hard as I could to explain why I did not care for the steak without hurting her feelings. She wanted to bring me another one or a free dessert but I graciously said no.

I explained to her why I didn’t like the steak and she began to tell us that in her past life as a chef she learned that when you order a steak from a menu that it helps to know what cut of beef it is.

She went on to say that the word “sirloin” covers a large area on a cow and that taste is very much influenced by distance from bone and muscle and that for some cuts it’s next to impossible to guarantee consistent taste.

So I looked at her and I said, “So Carrie, are you saying that I may want to be careful about ordering a sirloin entrée when at a restaurant?”

She smiled at me and said, “I’m careful.”

The only problem of course is when you come across a menu that does not tell you "Where's the beef" coming from.

Next time I’m in the Rose & Crown it's Bangers and Mash for me.

Carol’s toe was really bothering her so we headed back to the room. It was close to 7 and we did not plan on staying for Illuminations.

When we got back she soaked her foot while I tried to grab a few pics of the resort, like the pool area…

…and the boat dock.

Later that night I took some evening shots of the resort.

Here’s what I see when I run in the pre-dawn hours at POFQ

Here’s another shot of the pool slide….at night

Yikes, it was almost 1 A.M. What was I doing?

Then I realized that I was carrying out my own personal tradition. For as long as I can remember on the last night of any Walt Disney World vacation I always found myself wandering the resort way past midnight.

In fact one night at Mousefest 2004 I spent an hour from 12:30 to 1:30 just sitting and swinging in a swing while glancing across the Seven Seas Lagoon at the Magic Kingdom.

It's important for me, as as frequent guest, to sort of sit back and smell the roses on the last evening of any trip.

During the course of any trip to Walt Disney World there is bound to be a day in which you just can't get away from a long line, can't find an acceptable dining time at your favorite restaurant, or just feel like a sardine waiting for the afternoon parade at Magic Kingdom.

Those little irritants can easily obscure the fact that there is something that keeps bringing us back, year after year, that we can never put our finger on.

It's an intangible for sure...but it's there nontheless.

For me, it may not be as much theme parks, characters, fine restaurants, and nighttime spectaculars but maybe the overall reminder that life is way too short to not pamper yourself from time to time with a trip to Walt Disney World...and a reminder to stop and smell the roses before either they are no longer there for us to smell or we are no longer around to appreciate their scent.

Yup…the trip had ended…but the tradition will continue…for the next trip…and the next trip….

Greetings from Walt Disney World!!!!!

Thursday was a long day. It started for me at 2:30 A.M.

I landed in Orlando around 9:30 A.M.

My first stop was EPCOT where the 2007 Food & Wine Festival is starting to wind down.

You know what comes after Food & Wine don’t you? Why the festive Christmas holidays of course and lookie here…the Christmas decor is going up already.

Ahhhhh Christmas in October...ya gotta love it.

I found this Hidden Mickey in the bushes near the Japan pavilion. Honest, I did not do this but my guess is that someone took the time to clear the shrubs and arrange the rocks.

Had lunch at Biergarten with Brian Bennett and was close to the stage and the band. You know what that means don't you? It means no more talking at the table 'cause we can't hear each other.

In mid-afternoon we were joined by Len Testa of The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. Len wanted so much to try the food in…

...but we just had lunch some 90 minutes before. So we ordered ALL the appetizers and one pasta dish. Honest folks, this was research. We do it all for you. We were all in agreement that the food was relatively good but overpriced. I will say that the service was nothing less than excellent.

We were soon joined by Beci Mahnken of MEI Travel, and Mike Newell, and Matt Hochberg from the WDWTODAY Podcast and we all went over to check out a new film at an attraction known as….

Here’s Matt and Len, obviously up to no good.

The new "Oh Canada!" film was received with mixed emotions. The new version has added some humor to it but I was longing for some of the scenes from the original movie. I expect that for every two guests who watch this movie one will like it and the other will prefer the original.

We then took a stroll around World Showcase in search of dessert. Len treated us to caramel and ginger ice cream at China. Very tasty.

No...not research...call it "carbo loading" for Saturday evening's race.

BTW, the freaking out has begun because depending upon who you listen to the chance of rain for Saturday evening falls anywhere between 50% and 70%. Lovely.

We then took in The American Adventure before heading to Canada where we ran into our good friend Masayo Kano who made the long trip from Japan..

You're saying, "Mike, what's that shirt you're wearing? That's not a Disney shirt is it?"

No it's not. I live in new England and the Boston Red Sox are in the World Series...do the math.

We finished the night watching Illuminations. If you have not seen Illuminations since early 2007 you are in for a pleasant surprise. The video globe is brighter and more distinct. Also, you may find the fireworks to have more color.

It was quite a long day but nothing beats enjoying a day and evening in Walt Disney World with friends.

Friday is the day for packet pickup and Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. I hope it's a BOO-TIFUL night tonight.

Stay tuned as there is more to come!

First an apology for my absence.

Buckle your seatbelts however, because from here until the aftermath of the d2008 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend we are on for quite a ride.

Thoughts on my Tower of Terror Trip

On Friday of my trip Len Testa and I took in the newly refurbished Haunted Mansion. If you plan to go to WDW soon and want to be surprised about the new enhancements to HM then you may want to skip the upcoming bulleted list, if not then read on:

• The first notable change was in the stretching room. The audio seemed to completely surround me. Also as the room starts to “stretch” you could hear squeaking sounds. Oh and our ghost host showed us (with better lighting) his way out.
• One more thing about the stretching room…are those gargoyles saying something?
• Once in the doom buggies the fun really began. As we entered the corridor we saw some stairways with candelabras…that’s new.
• The left side of the corridor/hallway has very long windows and it seems it was thundering and lightning outside.
• There were many new pictures adorning the walls.
• There also seemed to be eyes following us on our journey.
• Then there were the stairs…seemed taken out of an M.C. Escher painting with footsteps appearing and disappearing at the same time…upside down.
• The séance room had a fresh well lit assortment of instruments and Madame Leota…the new Leota…was floating in her crystal ball about four feet higher than I recall in the past. There is a flaw in this room…look for it.
• The attic was very different as special photographs told us about the famous Masey family and we learn quite a bit more about the Widow Masey.

From there we toured the Caribbean with some swashbuckling pirates. We noticed that this attraction has some deliberate debris placed in the water. Look for it the next time you ride this attraction.

We then strolled over to Tomorrowland and rode Buzz Light-Year.

Here's proof...

Then while I made a few phone calls Mr. Testa rode Astro-Orbiter.

As we were leaving the Magic Kingdom I was accosted by some wild woman.

Here is one of the scarecrows that adorned Town Square.

We then took off to visit the monorail resorts…first stop the Contemporary…work coming along fine on the new DVC addition.

From there we shot over to the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. Neither one of us had ever seen Victoria and Albert’s so we ventured over and looked into the restaurant. If you ever saunter over to V&As to check out the menu bring some smelling salts… for when you gaze at the prices.

From the GF we walked to the Polynesian as were we were meeting friends for lunch.

Along the way as we past by Luau Cove we checked the Scopa family brick…looks worn.

Lunch was at Kona.

From there it was time to head to Pleasure Island to pick up the race packets.

I ran into many friends there.

From there I drove some friends to All-Star Sports to check on the refurbished rooms.

Check them out.

From there it was onto TMK and the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party where I ran into my friends Matt, Marissa, Sara, and Josh.

The party was just like the last two years. We did our trick or treating and did a few attractions and saw the fireworks...

...the Villains Mix and Mingle....

...and the BOO-To-You Parade.

I was kind of fading and had a race to run the next day so I headed back to my room. I did run into Batman and Robin at the Ticket and Transportation Center.

I fell asleep about 12:30 A.M.

Saturday morning I spent in Epcot with a friend who I hadn’t seen in almost two years.

One of the "Can't Miss!" off the beaten path places everyone should visit is the mini-museum devoted to the history of Epcot. It just behind Club Cool.

Be sure to visit this exhibit, especially if you are a Horizons fan.

By mid day we each had commitments to attend to. He went to PI to get his race packet and I met a young lady by the name of Deb Wills for lunch at Fresh at the Dolphin…highly recommended….both Ms. Wills and the restaurant.

After lunch I went looking for some pins in Epcot before going back to the room to rest before the race.

I tried to nap but it must have been the rolling thunder that kept me awake.

The Race

I headed to Disney MGM/Studios around 7 P.M. and met about a dozen of my friends at the start line.

The race was really building up…thought it was going to rain. The weather was mild.

The race was late in starting because of traffic snarls and runners being held up.

The race began just about 9:50 P.M. or 20 minutes later than scheduled. But if you want to be real technical the race started 50 minutes late from the originally scheduled start time.

As expected it was a dark and at times a challenging course. Somewhere around Mile 2 the course was diverted into a gravel road. Thanks to some rain a few days earlier there was a portion of this road that offered a few sections with mud.

It was along this portion of the course that the runners were provided with entertainment in the form or volunteers who were dressed as insane asylum escapees. I’m sure it was entertaining for many of the runners but for me I questioned why this entertainment was focused on this area of the course when it was most important for the runners to concentrate on the footing…the uneven ground…the mud…and those poorly lit portions of the course.

The 13k (8.2 mile) course finished in the MGM Studios theme park. Runners came in through near Sid Cahuenga's then turned left to go up Hollywood Blvd and down towards the Commissary and the Sci-Fi Drive-In restaurant before heading toward the Lights! Motors! Action! Stunt Show stadium. From there we weaved our way through the Backlot Tour route.

The course also winded through some off-stage areas before coming out somewhere near Sunset Blvd. and then taking a right to go to Hollywood Blvd…then once on Hollywood Blvd. the course headed towards the front of the park and took a left at Crossroads and then made it’s way up the hill to the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater and then eventually finishing just behind the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Courtyard.

This race was described as the first Annual Tower of Terror 13K which suggests it will return in 2008.

Hopefully the feedback the race organizers get from this race will provide some improvements in next year’s race.

If in fact this race returns next year here are some suggestions I have for the race directors.

• Regardless of whether packet pickup is at Pleasure Island or Disney’s World of Sports the setup should be such so that the line flow should be packet pickup, shirts, and tickets. This year there was some backtracking involved and people were bumping into one another. I truly think the pickup should be at the WoS.
• Begin the race earlier in the evening. I would suggest moving the start time to 9 P.M. or even 8 P.M. Most of the runners struggled because let’s face it, it’s Walt Disney World and curbing your daily activity to save energy for a nighttime race doesn’t work for everyone.
• Also, for those participating in the race, there was little time to enjoy the party afterwards. With an earlier start there is more opportunity to enjoy those attractions which are open for the party.
• Some consideration should be given to the medals. The 13K participants and the 6.5K participants both received the same medals even though the 13K participants ran twice the distance and paid more for registration. At least maybe change the ribbon color and décor to identify the course covered by the medal wearer.
• Regarding the course, there should be two corrals at the start with the 13K corral up front and the 6.5K corral at the rear. When the race started there were 6.5K participants in the midst of the 13.5K participants. This made for an awkward start.
• I’m sure I speak for most of the 13K participants when I say to scrap the gravel road portion of the race. It is difficult enough to run at night without worrying about an uneven surface. A slight adjustment in the course still allows the finish line to remain where it is.

After the race several of us had a late dinner/early breakfast at Picabu’s at the Dolphin Hotel…at around 2:30 A.M.

I got back to my room around 3:30 A.M. and after a much welcomed shower hit the pillow about 4 A.M. but never really got into a deep sleep.

I was up at 7:30 and spent the morning strolling around Pop Century in search of information regarding the beginning of the Legendary Years Phase for this resort. All I could find was some refurbishing of the Generation Gap Bridge.

I called up Disney Dining and was surprised that I was able to make an ADR at Boma for dinner that evening. I was planning to dine with some friends from the United Kingdom who favor the restaurant.

I headed into Epcot and had lunch with Beci Mahnken of MEI & Mouse Fan Travel®
At the Garden Grill in the Land pavilion. It was a very enjoyable and restful lunch.

I then went on a search to locate a special Halloween pin for my wife but came up short.

In the late afternoon I left Epcot and drove over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge where I met my friends for dinner.

We checked into Boma and waited to be called.

When our little gizmo buzzed and flashed we went to the podium where we were surprised to be announced as “Boma Family of the Night.” This meant we were escorted into the restaurant serenaded by drums and were seated at the front center table and made our way to the food before everyone else.

It was a nice final meal for me as Boma is one of my favorite restaurants and my company was exceptional

We then went to Epcot with plans to watch Illuminations before finishing the night at Beaches and Cream where my companions had visions of attacking the Kitchen Sink.

However after seeing the Oh Canada! film I felt the fatigue suddenly hit me. The past two days were finally catching up to me. I knew that sleeping just seven hours over two days while touring the parks and putting in an eight mile race would lead to fatigue at some point. This was that point.

I bid my friends farewell and would see them again in January for the WDW half-marathon.

I passed through the International Gateway and made my way along Boardwalk, stopping to capture my last photograph of the trip.

It was one of my shortest yet most intense WDW trips because of many factors, mostly of trying to squeeze so much into a few days. If I could have done it over I would not have done the MNSSHP the night before the race. I hope someone besides myself learns from this experience.

However, I came away from the trip with the satisfaction of knowing that I made each moment count as I spent 90% of my time with friends and it seems that more and more that seems to be the most important part of my WDW trips…to share the joy of the Disney culture with those with whom I care about.

One thing for sure….it made me even more excited to look forward to Mousefest.

Speaking of Mousefest

Are you ready? We are less than a month away and those on the Mousefest Organization Committee, Sponsors, and everyone else are working very feverishly to get everything in place for this annual event.

I’ve been making a list of things I have to do and this is the week I need to complete some tasks.

One of my tasks is to prepare for a new meet this year. It takes place on Thursday, Dec. 6th at 1 P.m. at the Tomorrowland Terrace in the Magic Kingdom. The meet is called “Mousefest 101” and it is geared towards helping first time Mousefest attendees understand what Mousefest is all about and how to get the most out of the event. I will be joined by Mark Goldhaber who is co-hosting the event with me.

If you are coming to your first Mousefest please try and attend this meet. I’m sure it will help you enjoy Mousefest.

A Word about January

We are about eight weeks from the Walt Disney World Half-Marathon.

Where should you be? Well, I’m thinking that for those of you planning to run in your first half-marathon that you should be in the 8-9 mile mark right now.

At this point you should be taking note of your pace.

Over the next few weeks we’ll talk about what you should consider as we close in on the race, be it your first half or full marathon.

For now as you get into the 8 or 9 mile workouts consider giving yourself an extra day or two of rest between these workouts. Your body will appreciate the gesture.

Sometime in the next few weeks we will all be receiving race information from the race organizers. This information will include a waiver sheet and a booklet that explains just about all you will need to know about the race.

Keep your eye out for that chunk of mail.

I’ll be back in a few days, and that’s a promise!

MouseFest Friday, December 7th.

It seemed that no sooner did my head hit the pillow the night that the alarm went off proclaiming “Day 2 Mike! Time to get up!”

First stop was Disney’s Animal Kingdom for the annual Kilimanjaro Safari Meet.

It was quite a challenge gathering everyone for this annual event. Deb welcomed everyone as the Mousefesters gathered to the left of the attraction. This meet was huge as in a total of 257 people for this meet.

Nothing beats riding Kilimanjaro Safaris with Fred Block, founder of MagicMeets.

Nothing.

I had a tough time trying to take photos as Fred had me laughing so much I almost dropped my camera.

Out of about 20 shots only this one of some Rhinos came out decent. All the other photos can be used in a course called, “How not to take photos!”

From there it was on to Dinosaur to witness Matt Hochberg meeting the challenge made on the previous day. Matt gutted it out and has lived to tell the tale. However next time he needs to keep his eyes open.

The next stop on this day was the AllEarsNet team luncheon at Pizzafari. This was one of two times on this day where I treasured the opportunity to just relax between the time blocks of meets.

It reinforced the notion that during Mousefest everyone needs to make time to stop, relax, eat, and hydrate. Even if you follow this rule you will most likely be exhausted come Mousefest end so it is best to do whatever you can to keep this eventual exhaustiveness to a minimum.

After lunch it was on to Disney MGM/Studios for two specific meets.

The first of these was the second annual Studios Central Star Tours meet which is growing in popularity every year. There was a good showing for this meet as my estimate was in the range of 80 people.

Next came the second annual Podfest hosted by Lou Mongello. This meet is the annual gathering of all those who do Disney related podcasts. I don’t know how many podcasts were represented but there were a LOT. It took almost 30 minutes to introduce each podcast and hear from the principles.

It was after Podfest that I wish I could have cloned myself to be in two places at once. Although I wanted very much to attend the MuppetVision3D meet I had to leave to host a dinner at Ohana at the Polynesian Resort.

Again I was glad this dinner was on my schedule. Once more I was offered time to just sit back and relax in between the running around I was doing. Funny though, I did not find myself eating as much as I normally would during a Walt Disney World trip. On the contrary, that morning I had to cinch my belt one more notch because my usual notch was just a bit too loose.

Oh wait; this is Mousefest…the ultimate diet program…how silly of me to forget.

I have to mention that the “entertainment” at Ohana left a lot to be desired. I would go so far as to say that the entertainment would not have been even good enough to make those early American Idol shows…if you catch my drift.

After dinner I realized I had the luxury of having nothing on my schedule for that evening so I wandered back to EPCOT with some friends in search of my cousin Patty who that evening was attending the Candlelight Processional.

We took in the Lights of Winter, and then walked around World Showcase before stopping to watch Illuminations (my second time this trip).

I never found Patty at EPCOT but did talk to her later that evening. She enjoyed CP.

I enjoyed Illuminations

I began to notice a little fatigue settling in so it was off to Pop Century for a long winter’s nap for tomorrow would be Saturday, the big day…MegaMouse Meet Day.

Do me a favor. Don’t tell anyone what I’m about to tell you. Just keep it between you and me okay?

Promise?

Okay…(Mike looks over both shoulders.)

I’m in Walt Disney World.

Yep.

I flew in on Thursday afternoon.

I decided to surprise my partners in crime on the WDWTODAY podcast. They decided to come down for the Annual Passholder’s Preview for Toy Story Mania.
For a long time I really wasn’t sure if I could come down…for many reasons.

Then for many more reasons I decided ON MONDAY to fly down.

So on Thursday afternoon I found myself lining up ate gate 15 to fly to Orlando

On Friday I surprised everyone and we all went over to Toy Story Mania for the Annual Passholder’s Preview.

When you first enter this renovated area of Mickey Avenue you immediately see the huge Pixar sign.

There was also the sign announcing the sneak preview.

The FastPass machines looked like something right out of the film.

The Green Soldiers were working hard across the street.

The queue for many people will be a stroll down Memory Lane with images of Candy Land…

…Viewmaster…

…Chutes and Ladders on the ceiling…

…Barrelfull of monkeys…

…and Tinkertoys.

There are some other old time favorites but I'll let you discover them for yourself.

The star of the show was Mr. Potato Head. This audioanimatron was amazing and via the use of soundboard technology, interacted with the guests.

He can produce many expressions.

However, this is what is truly amazing...I asked him to remove his ear...AND HE DID!

Mr. Potato Head was illuminated by the Pixar Lamp.

I found a Hidden Mickey

I also found the 3-D glasses needed for the attraction.

Here’s a glimpse of the ride vehicles.

That’s about as far as I could go with the photos. Once in the ride vehicle guests must put on their 3-D glasses and secure the lap bar.

The vehicles begin to spin and from time to time stop in front of a video wall and guests will try their luck at some arcade games.

I won’t spoil it for you but suffice to say this attraction goes by faster than any attraction I have ever seen at Walt Disney World.

Each guest has this cannon and on the back of the cannon is a cord with a knob on the end of it. For each arcade game guests must pull on the cord to go after some targets presented to them.

It is very fast paced and the music and action is non-stop.

You will find yourself a bit tired after riding this attraction.

The Annual Passholder’s Preview saw many people go through this attraction and I noticed that as each day came and gone the scores improved.

On Saturday the highest score was around 160,000…then on Sunday 300,000 was reached and on Monday the highest score I saw was around 560,000 so everyone is learning how to play this game.

There is a single rider line but I really do not recommend using this line as I know of people who waited almost an hour in that line. Besides if you use that line you'll miss all the neat stuff in the queue.

Toy Story Mania is a lot of fun and I would say pretty contagious. Some may argue this point but I think it’s the first real video game like attraction ever to show up in Walt Disney World

I feel badly for Buzz Lightyear in Tomorrowland in the Magic Kingdom…he just won’t feel the same after riding this.

Next Time

Remember the four parks in one day challenge? Oh yes, I know all about Kali River Rapids…no big deal…you can adjust that to attraction number three for that park.

Anyway, a dozen of my friends attempted four parks in one day this past Sunday.

How did we go about attempting g this challenge?

Were we successful?

I’ll tell you next time.

It was a spur of the moment idea…an idea that probably has been in the back of a lot of WDW guest minds but unfortunately never surfaced to the point where they can try it.

What am I talking about?

Well on my recent trip to Walt Disney World while walking around World Showcase with Annette Owens of MEI and Mouse Fan Travel we found ourselves discussing interesting things to do in Walt Disney World that the usual guest would probably either never think of nor have the time to do.

We had just finished the third leg or our four Parks in One Day Adventure and before heading off to dinner we were obviously thinking of this challenge and what other interesting challenges we could come up with that would make for an interesting day at one of the parks.

Of course what is World Showcase known for but its diversified cuisines and the offerings of food from around the world?

So we began to wonder out loud what it would be like to try and get a little taste of what World Showcase pavilions have to offer…all 11 of them.

Now unless you are either Takeru Kobayashi (world famous Japanese competitive eater) or a 350 lb. National Football League interior lineman you probably don’t have the intestinal fortitude to sit down in every pavilion and eat a meal in one day.

So the problem was to throw in enough wrinkles so that the average person could in fact stand a chance at doing this.

That night over dinner I threw out some ideas to some friends and after some discussion we came up with the following challenge that we were going to attempt the very next day.
We called it….”Sip and Snack Around the World.”

Rules of the Game

Here they are:

• The goal is to consume either food or drink from every pavilion in World Showcase.
  
• Since this was a bit of a competition we said that it was every man (and woman) for him/herself. That meant no sharing.
  
• Each participant was responsible for purchasing his or her own “stuff.”
  
• Whatever is consumed had to be unique to that pavilion and not available anywhere else.
  
• Whatever the choice, be it food or drink, at least 75% had to be consumed for that pavilion’s offering to count.
  

There were four of us who took up this challenge, the aforementioned Annette Owens, Len Testa Co-Author of the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World and one of the co-hosts of the WDWTODAY podcast, his fellow WDWTODAY co-host Mike Newell, also of MouseWorldRadio, and yours truly.

We decided to do it the next day.

Now keep in mind that this is an unusual way to spend your day at Walt Disney World. On a normal vacation day in Orlando you would not find yourself spending an entire day doing this…well after reading this you might.

Good Morning

When I got up the next morning I made sure I had nothing for breakfast…well maybe some juice…but no food.

We all arrived at EPCOT just about opening time and knew that World Showcase would not open until 11 so we strolled around and checked out Future World before our “Feast.”

We visited The EPCOT Legacy Museum...

and Mission Space and Test Track...

...and Club Cool before heading over to World Showcase.

I was a little hungry but held off eating anything but a small granola bar.

I cannot say the same for Len. About 10:30 or so Len decided he needed something so he decided to grab a cherry Danish and coffee at the pastry cart in Canada.

Hmmmm….would this impair his gastronomical ability for the day?

We decided to help Len out so we walked from Canada to Mexico where our challenge would begin. This would give him some time to walk off the Danish and prepare for the challenge.

Just before we got started Len dropped a bomb…”Uh guys I have to be somewhere by mid afternoon so we need to do this by 2:30.”

“What?!?!?!

Hoo boy!

I had expected that we would be looking at an eight to nine hour ordeal. Not now.

Len’s schedule meant we had to covering 11 pavilions in 3 ½ hours…do the math…that means we had to consume something every…drum roll please…20 minutes. Yikes.

Now I was REALLY glad I had not eaten breakfast.

Mexico: La Cantina de San Angel

First stop was Mexico. Now think of the strategy one could go with on such a challenge. You could go one of several ways. We all had our own ideas as to how best to approach this challenge.

My plan was sort of a two plans in one kind of an approach. My primary objective was to think small. I was going to look for the smallest item in every pavilion.

I was also thinking that I would also need to space out any liquids I would have. I knew that during the challenge I would need to wash down any food I consumed so I needed to constantly monitor myself for dry throat.

Well for Mexico at La Cantina de San Angel three of us decided to start off light. Len, Annette, and yours truly opted for the child’s meal…a few nachos and a small beef burrito…and a small bottle of water.

Then there was Mike Newell. Mike has also not eaten breakfast so he assumed that having a regular sized meal to start off the challenge would be fine.

Well, take a look at the following picture and you will see how much of a difference the child’s meal was from a regular meal. It would be a choice Mike would regret.

Remember, we all had to eat 75% of whatever we chose at each pavilion so size was a consideration.

Norway: Kringla Bakeri og Cafe

I can tell you that one of the reasons I was excited about this challenge was that I knew that it would be a fun day. After all, I was in Walt Disney World with some friends and I knew…I just knew that we would laugh during this whole ordeal.

Well, you can imagine how much we laughed when Mike Newell, after eating his Mexican dish, turned around and decided to get the chocolate mousse. Now ordinarily, I’m sure many of you would leap at the opportunity of enjoying a chocolate mousse. However, would you really want one after eating a huge plate of nachos? I guess we all knew, especially Mike that his choice was let’s say questionable when he took his first swallow.

The rest of us were on this small food kick and opted for the smallest thing we could get…like the Lefse or the cloudberry horn.

We were two pavilions in and already we knew we were in for quite a day.

We skipped past China because our target, the Tea Wagon, was not open for business just yet.

Germany: Sussigkeiten (Sweets and Treats)

In Germany we thought that Sommerfest would have some good options. Right off the bat we all agreed that a German beer is definitely the wrong shoice so we looked at other options.

We were thinking Strudel. Sure, a little treat and some sugar to give us energy.

Well the problem was that the apple strudel offered at Sommerfest was more like dessert for three and none of us was brave enough to attack it. In fact all the desserts offered…including the Black Forest Cake and Cheesecake, although delicious, was looking just a bit too much to have on this day.

What about the pretzel? Well, that too looked huge, and in Len’s words by then his stomach had convinced him that the pretzel was about the size of a piece of fence.

So we went into the store called Sussigkeiten. It did not get any easier.

Think of it this way. If any of us bought a small package of cookies we’d have to eat 75% of the package. That WASN’T going to happen.

This pavilion was about to be the first pavilion in which we were looking at candy bars. Most of us looked around for a candy bar that appealed to us and that meant not just ingredients but size.

I was adventurous and tried this one candy bar that looked innocent.

Of course when we all got different items we would ask one another how they tasted.

So when Annette said, “Hey Mike, how is it?” I went into my Rod Serling impression and said calmly, “Imagine if you will…chocolate covered Play-Doh!”

Well you can imagine that we knew right then and there that we were risking getting sick from either eating too much food that day or laughing with each other. It was great.

Next Time: Part II: Tea, Nuggets, and Dried Fish, Oh My!

When we last left I was retelling the Sip and Snack Around the world challenge that was taken on by Annette Owens, Len Testa, Mike Newell, and myself.

We had just finished Germany and were now on our way to China.

China: Joy of Tea Stand

Ah the Joy of Tea Stand was finally opened. At this point everyone was thinking about something to drink. This stand offered some interesting choices and the day before Annette had convinced me to try the Peach Oolong Tea Schnapps Slush. It was good the day before, but then again I wasn’t eating my way around World Showcase.

Everyone had tea except me. I opted for the green tea ice cream simply because it was one fourth the size of any drink offered at the cart.

Poor Len, he DID NOT like his tea and ended up nursing it for a considerable long time…you’ll see.

Italy: Arcata D’Ariga

Remember, we had a deadline of 2:30 so we had to keep moving. We were just about a third through the pavilions and we needed to maintain a pace of eating every 15 to 20 minutes.

Now obviously Tutto Italia was out…unless of course a stomach pump came with the Pasta e Fagioli (pronounced “Pasta Fa-ZOO”). Len and I had the same idea. We walked into Arcata D’Ariga, the store that has wine and candy and pastries.

Len, Annette, and Mike opted for biscotti which is an Italian cookie, often made with almonds. I wasn’t too sure about that so I went to the area in the middle of the store where they had candy. I was able to find a small package that had one kind of jelly bean candy…and it was only thirty cents. SOLD!

Oh yeah…with the help of the biscotti Len was able to get a bit more of his tea down…as they say, he would have given all the tea in China to not have to drink that stuff.

At this point we started to seriously wonder about the insane task we had charted ourselves to do.

However, once again…we were in EPCOT…with friends…and having a good time…and that pretty much cancelled out any second thoughts of quitting…heck, we were having too much fun and laughing too much to stop now.

We could almost feel the spirit of Walt Disney putting his arm around our shoulders and saying, “Hey gang, I love this idea.”

American Adventure: Liberty Inn

This could have been a challenge. Remember we were limited to only those items unique to that pavilion and the Liberty Inn did not have many choices.

Two of us, Len and Annette opted for the Kids chicken nuggets meal. However they had to take two sides with the meal AND a small bottle of water.

Len opted for grapes and carrot sticks and Annette went with carrots sticks and the fruit punch gelatin. Yes when they each sat down they both had a “What was I thinking?” look on their faces.

Mike and I scanned the menu and decided to have a Sam Adams beer. As much as I thought this was the right choice it did take an effort on my part to finish it.

At one point Len had excused himself to visit the rest room. Upon his return he announced to everyone that he was a failure. He was trying to convince his stomach to, let’s say, “return” what he had eaten to that point so he would have an empty stomach to finish this challenge.

Alas…he just couldn’t get his stomach to comply…oh yeah…he still had the tea.

I challenged Len to guzzle the tea and I would guzzle my bear. He held his nose and tried to guzzle his drink…we let him stop once he got to the virtual 75% mark.

Annette could not eat the gelatin…so she took it with her…to finish off somewhere along the way.

We all started laughing…at ourselves…it was great.

Japan: Mitsukoshi Department Store

From here on out we were all on the same page. Our objective from this point on was to find the smallest item in each pavilion and also one that would go down easy. We checked the menu for the Yakitori House. Most of us had the same idea…Miso soup.

However, the thought of consuming green onions and seaweed at this point convinced us otherwise. Everything else looked to either have large portions, including the Kirin Beer, Hot Sake, and Plum Wine.

Oh if only Masayo was here to help us.

The Mitsukoshi Department Store sort of wraps around the pavilion and in the back is an area with food and most importantly, small packages of food.

Of course someone found a package of dried fish….no thanks…although Annette still had her Jell-O so at least she could dunk the fish….sorry…that the mind plays tricks on you and I had this image.

Actually Annette made a great choice. She purchased what looked to be a package of three chocolate lollipops. Each “pop” was the size of a dime…good choice.

Mike Newell chose this small package of grape cotton candy with pop rocks, and Len grabbed something best described as Japanese Gummi Bears.

I had a small candy bar in my hand and was in line to pay when I spotted a much better choice. It was a small energy drink. The bottle could not have held more than 6 oz. It tasted like flat Diet Sprite. It went down smooth and no after taste. This was my best choice of the day as it really had no impact on me.

Morocco: Tangierine Café

We sauntered in to the Tangierine Café and checked out the menu. I had eaten here in December and I recalled that the portions were somewhat HUGE and I cautioned everyone to “choose wisely.”

We all agreed that it was too risky to order even something like a kid’s meal. We had three countries left after this one and we were running out of time on the clock and space in our tummies.

Then almost at the same time we all said “Baklava” and we went to the pastry counter.

At this point Annette looked at the cast member behind the counter and quipped, “I never thought I’d hear myself say this but please give me the smallest piece you have.”

She was speaking for all of us.

I’m not sure how to explain how we all enjoyed the Baklava. Mike Newell felt there was too much filling in his and I felt mine did not have enough and was dry.

Annette seemed to have a challenge getting hers down…and at this point she could have
washed it down with her melting Jell-O.

Len, still reeling from his cursed tea after taste, welcomed anything that would mask that lingering flavor in his palate.

Tick-Tock, time was marching…I looked at my watch…we had just about an hour left to do France, the United Kingdom, and Canada.

France: Boulangerie Patisserie

Imagine you are standing in front of a French pastry and there are many, many, too many wonderful combinations of sugar, flour, and fillings waiting for you…and you are stuffed.

What to do.

When we started this little adventure I had thought all along that I would look forward to France and enjoy a nice Napoleon.

No…not this little guy…

…this guy.....

...believe me...he looked much bigger in the display.

However, as we made our way around World Showcase the issue of size and portion very much influenced our choices and the Napoleons were sort of outside my portion range at this point.

I opted for a lemon tart…less pastry and more gel and I washed that down with light lemonade.

Mike Newell could not resist the cream puff. When he picked it up the weight kind of made him nervous. It was made with heavy cream. We let Mike knock off about 75% of that baby and call it a done deal.

Call it “portion pity.”

The best choice in France was made by Annette and Len who both opted for a Croissant. Also, Annette was able to consume 75% of her Jell-O while at the same time getting down the Croissant.

But I have to tell you…by now we’re all thinking we’re not going to eat for at least a decade or two…but before then what lies ahead was the United Kingdom and Canada.

United Kingdom: The Tea Caddy

Ahh… the Tea Caddy.

Annette and I wandered in to check out the offerring in there. It was, what we felt, our only option.

We all steered clear of the fish and Chips counter service area.

Len and Mike made a “pit stop” and returned to find Annette and myself munching on something I remember being called a “Flakey” or something like that. It was recommended to us by the CMs in the shop because it was “flaky and light”

Well...sort of…it was flaky alright but when you put layers of flakes together and fused them together with chocolate…the word “light” does not come to mind.

Len opted to try one too…but Mike Newell’s dry throat drew him to the Rose and Crown and Bass Ale…which did not go down as smoothly as he had hoped.

Okay, here we were, we had about 25 minutes before our deadline and we had just Canada left in our sights.

We were all praying the same thing…”Please let there be small bear claws” as we all assumed those pastries would probably be our choice.

Canada: Northwest Mercantile

There was good news and bad news waiting for us in Canada.

The good news was that there were no bear claws to be found.

The bad news was that there were no bear claws to be found.

On the one hand we were relieved. It was going to be a challenge to get those babies down…but then again…NOW WHAT?

We went into the Northwest Mercantile and checked it out.

Lots of stuff but hoo boy…not easy to make a choice. There were packages of Maple candy and cookies and biscuits and stuff like that.

We looked for a LONG time before finally succumbing to yet another candy bar.

Len, of course, always thinking, came up to me and said, “I need a ruling”

“What?” I said.

“Is this legal?” and he held up…

wait for it….

wait for it…

a small bottle of maple syrup.

“You’re kidding!” I said.

“Hey it’s small…should go down easy…and I’m done”

I chuckled and said, “Go for it.” Thinking that I was about to witness a sugar high that would be unequaled in history.

So while Mike, Annette, and I forced down the last of our World Showcase buffet, Len guzzled, yes guzzled, his bottle of maple syrup.

Well, we all looked at each other and said, “Okay, that was crazy!”

We looked at our watches…2:20 P.M.

We had come within 10 minutes of our target time.

On average, each of us had spent about $35 as we weaved our way around World Showcase.

As we were walking out of World Showcase we were joking and remarked. “Well, that’s been done.”

A curious smile came over my face and Mike Newell looked over at me and he said, “Oh no! He’s thinking again.”

He was right!

When the next opportunity arises I’ve got some new wrinkles to throw into this little challenge…and it’s going to be different, challenging, and most of all…fun.

So next time everyone may be a bit more prepared.

Well I'm back in Orlando for 10 days of willfull suspension of disbelief and along the way we all know that I'll be sharing some observations with all of you and hopefully also provide some insight and some tips to help you on your next visit to Walt Disney World.

And of course it would not be any fun unless from time to time I place a photo in this blog and ask you to guess as to from where I snapped this photo.

Here's one...and a hint...it's from an attraction.

Any guesses?

Now on to other things.

One observation that I need to share with you is best shown in the following picture. I had just enjoyed a performance of the Festival of the Lion King and when Carol and I exited the theater she pointed out this group of strollers.

Notice anything?

It sure seems that there is a larger percentage of personal strollers in the theme parks than in the past..at least on this particular morning.

Here's something new for all of you who are planning to visit Walt Disney World in the next few months and are on one of the Disney Dining Plans.

Le Cellier in Epcot is currently running a "pilot" as it was described to me, which offers guests a special menu.

This menu has a yellow box at the top and in this yellow box are appetizers, entrees, and desserts.

Here's the deal. If for instance you are on the basic Disney Dining Plan you know that appetizers are outside the plan.

However, if you choose your appetizer, entree, and dessert from those offerrings in this yellow box then Le Cellier will honor all three, yes that includes the appetizer, on the Dining Plan.

Is there a catch? Well, I will tell you that the entrees offerred in the yellow box are certainly not their signature entrees so that's something to consider.

For the record, I did order an appetizer and paid for it and then ordered a signature entree and dessert.

The entrees and desserts in that yellow box just did not appeal to me.

Anyway, if you are lucky enough to have an Advanced Dining Reservation at Le Cellier be aware of the yellow box pilot.

Here's another observation and that is if you are using Disney transportation while in Orlando be sure to always, always, always double-check the bus routes whenever possible.

Some of them are very specific.

For instance, as of the date of this blog entry if you are staying in Pop Century and want to go to Blizzard Beach you would take the bus that goes to Disney's Animal Kingdom from Pop Century. From DAK that bus will continue to BB.

However to get from Pop Century to Typhoon Lagoon you would take a bus that goes to Downtown Disney which will then continue to TL.

Those two routes may change without notice so just be sure you ask before assuming that a particular bus will be going to a particular destination.

That's it for now....

....except for one more photo for you to ry and figure out just where it came from.

Are you ready?

Here it is...and a hint....this cannot be found in a theme park.

Any ideas?

Watch for more from me as I make more Orlando Observations in the days to come.

Earlier this week there were all these reports about Tropical Storm Fay and how it had potential to develop into a huricane. All of Florida was bracing itself for a day of two of heavy rain, damaging winds, and who knows what else Mother Nature had up her sleeve.

For those who are visiting Walt Disney World during times of bad weather, the uncertainty can surely impact their vacation plans.

For instance, in a case whereby a tropical storm or huricane is to hit some folks may cancel plans to visit the theme parks that day, possiby cancel plans to also dine at a theme park restaurants, and even just decide to hunker down in their room and ride out the storm....

...and then there's me.

When it comes to bad weather I have a tendency to be more curious than safe. I remember one February day we were in the midst of a blizzard and I went outside to check on how the trees were holding up around the house. A 20 foot tree limb missed me by about 10 feet as it came crashing down behind me.

There are other stories I can tell but I don't want to tell you how careless I REALLY am in bad weather.

Anyway, I've been in WDW for such storms as Hurricane Charley and Hurricane Dennis and for a while it looked like TS Fay would be added to my list.

But Fay pretty much fizzled out....so far.

Our morning started off with a drive to Fort Wilderness and breakfast at Trail's End. I expected the restarant to be filled. Not so. Only about 25 patrons there while we ate.

We then went to Disney's Animal Kingdom and did a few things there. At 11 A.M. we walked onto Kilimanjaro Safaris as there were hardly any guests in the park. There seemed to me more animals on the Savannah than guests in the park.

BTW, I had never seen so many animals out...could it have been the weather?

Thanks to Fay we enjoyed a morning at DAK that had fewer than the normal number of guests.

Every attracton had a wait time of 10 minutes or less and at Finding Nemo: The Musical I'd say only about 120 or so guests watched the show with us.

Around Noon we decided to go to the Magic Kingdom because there was still the feeling that the storm would hit between 2 and 4 P.M. and I wanted to see what measures would be taken to secure the park.

Here are the umbrellas tied down at Casey's...

Take a look as to how dark it was around the castle...

Rumors were floating around all day that the parks would close in the late afternoon.
Signs were being tied down to protect from potentially dangerous wind conditions...like at Columbia Harbor House...

Cinderella's Round Table sign under the castle was secured...

Guests were notified that the resort was monitoring the storm and telling us that there was a possibility of a change in the operaring hours.

More signs tied down....Sir Mickey's...

...and the Yankee Trader.

We made our way to the Magic Kingdom and sometimes it rained and sometimes it didn't. It was breezy all day with temps in the 70's.

At Magic Kingdom we did about eight or so attractions...all were either walk-ons or ten minute waits.

At around 5 P.M. the winds DID pick up a bit but the rains still held off...steady rains that is.

It wasn't until around 7 or so that the sky began to transition into a hazy, grey chunk and the rain and wind picked up.

That's when we decided to leave the park.

But all in all thanks to Fay we were able to get a lot done.

Look at Haunted Mansion....10 minutes to get on...

I think this is a comment that when the weather is not so perfect during your stay at WDW that you should make the best of it.

Of course in any weather you need to be aware of potential conditions. ALWAYS BE SAFE!!.

I always see rainy days as the best days to go to EPCOT and Animal Kingdom. Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom offer more hiding places from the rain and thus guests tend to go to those parks on rainy days...not to mention Disney Quest.

So thanks Fay for an interesting day. ...and it may continue to be an interesting week as Fay seems to want to hang around.

It was another rainy day in Walt Disney World…my wife’s birthday. However we would not let the weather “dampen” our spirits.

On this day shopping was the priority and we shopped at several places, including Downtown Disney.

While in the World of Disney store a promotion caught my eye.

That made me think about a fantasy that has come to mind in the past.

I'm guessing that some of you may have had this fantasy too so come along and let's fantasize together.

So here it is.

Imagine that some day you would fly to Orlando with just a carryon piece of luggage and in that carryon is basically just toiletries. Your "mission" is to purchase all you would need for your vacation.

Shall we begin?

Okay, the first purchase would be this...

...to hold everything I would be purchasing.

Now that we've got that taken care of let's buy a few shirts. I'm here for a week so I'm buying seven shirts.

Here are my choices...

...and 2 shirts from here...probably one dark and one light one...

I need a few pairs of shorts...

Of course I need some of these...

...and of course these (blush)...

And of course I need something for those sunny days...

That's about it. Sure I could get some swimwear and flipflops for the pool but I usually don't hit the pool so no need to buy anything else.

One point to make is that everything I would purchase I would purchase at Downtown Disney at the World of Disney shop because if you are an Annual Passholder you receive a 10% discount.

Also, I would probably visit the Character Warehouse shops off property to look for a few bargains.

Anyway I always say to myself, "Hmmm, if I ever came down with just the clothes on my back, what would I get?"

It's a fantasy so who knows if it will ever happen.

Just thought I'd let everyone know that tusker House is AWESOME.

This eatery recently switched from a quick-service location to a sit-down restaurant and offers a buffet for guests.

In its quick-service days Tusker House was very good and now it's even better.

If you love the food at Boma's at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge you will love Tusker House's offerrings.

Here are some pictures of the food area.

Notice the amount of space...it's huge.

This area offered breads, salads, and fruits.

This area offers hot foods like salmon and veggie dishes.

There is a generous amount of space devoted to the children's selections.

The carving station was very popular...beef and pork roasts were the offerrings on this night.

At the center of the food area was "dessert circle" and it was decadent. It had everything....except zebra domes.

Tusker House is most crowded for dinner during Disney Animal Kingdom's Extra Magic Hour Evenings...especially as the evening goes on.

On rainy nights, like the night we were there....thanks Tropical Storm Fay...the crowd as you can see by my photos...were down.

I may be going out on a limb here but Tusker House may be my favorite buffet offerring throughout the WDW resort. It may not have as many choices as the others on the resort but there are two factors that have made an impression upon me.

First of all the quality of the food is exceptional. It just seemed so much better than other places.

Secondly, and this is important to me...the food is fresh because the containers at the food stations are not very big...thus the food is replenished quite often and made fresh.

For instance, the bowl containing the Ceasar Salad...which is a salad to die for in Tusker House...was replenished three times while we were there.

Quality and freshness...two words to describe Tusker House.

There’s been a lot on the news lately about transition of power in the U.S Government and one day while watching the latest reports on this activity I wondered what would have happened had Mickey Mouse run for president and had won.

Who would be in his transition team/cabinet if he were elected?

Well here are my choices:

Vice-President: It stands to reason that Minnie would be Mickey’s Vice-President.

I know, you were expecting her to be the first lady mouse but last I checked Mickey and Minnie were not sporting wedding bands. So Minnie would serve well as Mickey’s VP because we all know that behind every great mouse...erhhh…let’s move on.

Secretary of Defense: This one’s easy. It’s Donald Duck.

His convincing resume would be filled with countless film evidence of his temper when dealing with those rascals Chip and Dale. Imagine a foreign country watching one of those cartoons and seeing Donald seething and doing some drastic things. Who would even dare to get Donald or the United States the least bit upset knowing Donald was Secretary of Defense?

Secretary of the Treasury : There’s been a lot on the news recently about the Treasury Secretary and so this one comes to mind right away. Also, keeping with the duck theme a bit let’s look at Scrooge McDuck as our Treasury Secretary.

Why? Well, he’s got a lot of money, all of which I know nothing as to where it came from…but he has a lot and in this day of bailouts we need a lot of money so I figure he knows how to generate the kind of capital we need to survive so Scrooge is in.

Ah yes…more fowl appointments….I’d like to see Professor Ludwig Von Drake appointed the Secretary of Education because let’s face it, those cartoons with Prof Von Drake telling us how things worked always were informative and at the same time very enjoyable.

You might say they were….wait for it….a journey in….wait for it….edutainment. Hmmm, I’m learning something and being entertained. That to me is a great makeup for a Secretary of Education.

Secretary of State: Another easy one. It’s Belle.

Why? Well she seems to be the person who has that ability to see the good in everyone and I think she knows how to bring out that good and to help everyone live in harmony. She will not pull any punches but at the same time knows exactly which buttons to push on which people to get everyone to see each other’s point.

Attorney General: This is a key post. To me it was a tossup between Chernabog and Jiminy Cricket but I decided to give it to Jiminy because he just looks the part.

Also, with his mantra “Let your conscience be your guide” I was thinking that he’s level headed and thinks things through before making any decisions. Jiminy is my man…erhh cricket.

Secretary of Agriculture: Another easy post to fill. Without question it would have to be Johnny Appleseed.

Let’s face it; no other Disney Character has had more of an impact on our land than Johnny with his planting of a gazillion apple trees. So he’s my choice….it would be nice to hear him singing in his office.

Department of Labor: Finally a spot for Goofy.

I don’t know of any other Disney character that has had as many different jobs as Goofy so my thought is that he understands what it takes for labor to be successful and he brings all those experiences to the position of Secretary of Labor.

Secretary of Health and Human Services: This one took a while but I finally figured it out. My candidate would be Doc from the Seven Dwarfs.

Let’s face it, you have to know what you’re doing to be able to keep six of your friends healthy (except for Sneezy…allergies) healthy and you also must have some idea as to what human services are essential and how to get those services to folks….especially when you have eight living under one roof.

Secretary of Housing and urban Development: Boy this is a no-brainer. It would have to be the Little Pig who built the brick house…you know the one the wolf could not blow down. I ‘d tell you his name but when I looked it up I found three different answers…although I like the name Practical Pig. He plays a mean piano too.

This pig had the foresight to understand what materials to use and in the meantime made could use of his time and money by buying the right materials; building a structure that was strong...and also will last. He should advise all who those who seek to build.

Transportation Secretary: Although he’s young, I have to think that Dash Incredible would be the right person for the job.

He’s fast; he’s always thinking; and he’s open-minded so he would always be able to key in on what the country needed, infrastructure wise and so on, so that roads and bridges and everything involves in transportation works as fast and efficiently as possible.

Department of Energy: Ned Brainard of course. What? Don’t you know who that is? I could just leave you hanging and make you Google the guy but one word will enlighten you…Flubber. That’s right, he’s the guy who invented Flubber….no...not Robin Williams but the original Ned Brainard...Fred MacMurray. What? You would if you recall the television show "My Three Sons."

Imagine what he could do if he were in place to lead the Department of Energy….talk about independence from Middle East oil.

So there’s my cabinet ideas for Mickey.

Now if you would excuse me…for the next several weeks I need to focus on a little event known as Mousefest....so be sure to check here for Mousefest updates...before...during...and after Mousefest.

On a recent trip to Orlando a few thoughts followed me home and I'd like to share these thoughts with you.

First, despite the fact that the Year of a Million Dreams has come and gone, there are still some magical things happening in the Walt Disney World theme parks.

Last week I had a long conversation with two Celebration Greeters Valerie and Mark
who told me that part of their job is to find guests and deliver a magical moment here and there.

The problem is that when approached by a cast member, most guests will run for the hills because they feel they will be tied up answering survey questions or will be asked if they would like a photo package with Mickey that will cost them somewhere in the vicinity of a mortgage payment.

This is not the case. When a cast member approaches you in any Walt Disney World theme park you should welcome them with open arms.

Want an example? One of my friends was standing near Splash Mountain the when a cast member approached her and gave her a box of popcorn…and then handed 12 Fast Passes to my other friend.…that’s right TWELVE Fast Passes for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

So although the Year of a Million Dreams is long gone the magic is still around…but you can’t deliver a dream or a magical moment unless there is someone to receive it so think about this the next time a cast member approaches you on Main Street USA.

You may even get some private time with Cinderella. Here I am with Cinderella and my friends Amy and All Ears colleague Michelle Scribner-Maclean.

I noticed a new Stitch attraction in the Magic Kingdom. It takes place in Tomorrowland and it involves Stitch on a big screen talking to park guests. The technology used in the attraction seems to be very much as how Crush talks to guests in EPCOT's Turtle Talk. The attraction is relatively new and involves what could be best described as dancing "Go-Go Girls" from the future as well as dancing "Power Rangers"…all moving to the sounds of the music of the 60s and 70s.

I don’t know why this keeps happening to me but every time I go on Splash Mountain I find myself on the front right seat. Now I know for some of you this is a dream come true. In this dream, however, be prepared to get wet...very wet. You won’t find me on Splash Mountain between Thanksgiving and Easter or anytime when the temperature is less than 80 degrees Farenheit…don’t want to freeze.

Please remember that there are two queues lines for Pirates of the Caribbean. The next time you are entering this attraction pay attention to which side seems to be drawing the most guests….and then use the other side.

I’ve ridden “It’s a Small World” about three or four gazillion times…..so this time when I rode I decided to count the number of animated dolls, animals, and objects in the attraction. Next time you get a chance tally them up for me. Let me know your total count.

I noticed a nice touch at the Tea Cups…a leaf dedicated to Randy Pausch, author of "The Last Lecture". The quote makes you think.

As much as I love Fast Passes I actually prefer going through the stand by queues at Expedition Everest and Soarin'….especially Soarin’ because of those interactive kiosks.

That’s right; you are actually entertained while waiting to get on the attraction. While waiting to soar over America,you can build lands, fly balloons, guide birds through the forest, and do all sorts of things.

I am convinced that it's easier to ride up front on the monorail if you a) ask during the early or mid-afternoon and b) if you are going from the Ticket and Transportation Center to EPCOT. I have ridden the monorail three times over the past two trips to Walt Disney World and I think my success is based on those two factors.

Here's a photo of our driver Weston. He did very well...no collisions.

I think I’ve mentioned this many times before but was reminded by some friends who had forgotten this tidbit of advice.

When watching Illuminations at EPCOT’s World Showcase you need to avoid gazing at the video globe between The Rose and Crown Restaurant and where Off Kilter perform…unless of course you’re into fireworks smoke and debris.

Masayo, my good friend from Japan, had asked me to try the Kakigori treat in Japan’s pavilion. It was great. It’s sort of like shaved ice but it’s much finer and softer and more tasty. I had rainbow and it was out of this world. Kakigori is a more pricey than Dole Whip but ii hits the spot on a hot day.

More mindful thoughts next time.

Continuing with some insights from a recent trip to WDW...
(In cast you missed Part 1)

Toy Story Midway Mania continues to be the hottest attraction in Walt Disney World. I waited for at least 75 minutes for this attraction, and yet right afterwards I was able to walk right on The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror...absolutely no wait.

I remember not so long ago seeing the same long queues for TZTOT. Could it be that TSM is one of those attractions which Walt longed for? You know, one designed so that the whole family could ride together?

It's simple, those attractions for which the whole family can ride will usually have longer queues than those thrill rides which appeal to a subset of the family.

The TZTOT is not for everyone, but it sure seems that TSM is for the whole gang; hence the difference.

The American Idol Experience attraction strikes me as one of those attractions to take in for a nice respite from the hot Florida Sun and I expect that the crowds this summer will be fairly substantial. After all it is this attraction's first summer and should enjoy a healthy number of guests.

Not sure I get the judges….there seems to be a large Randy Jackson clone, a Paula Abdul type female judge and a Simon Cowell wannabe. The show I attended had some pretty talented people perrforming. I have heard from many locals that it is best to wait for the finale show. I believe the finale show is at 7 P.M. and it's a more robust show. I'm planning on doing that the next time I am in Hollywood Studios.

I must be doing something wrong. Every time I go on Everest I never feel I’ve gotten a good look at the Yeti. Maybe next time. Up until this last trip I had never ridden Expedition Everest up front. How did I do it? Well, it wasn't me who did it but my fellow AllEars colleague Michelle Scribner-MacLean who knew when to ask about riding up front.

As you go onto the loading dock you walk down to the right. At that point ask the loading Cast Member if you could ride up front and you will be directed to the up front queue...I kid you not.

One word of caution: it is not for the faint of heart. Hey maybe that's why I didn't catch a good glimpse of that nasty Yeti.

I will be the first to admit that I cannot get enough of Finding Nemo: The Musical. The puppetry for this attraction is outstanding and I am totally convinced that the performers are having the time of their lives putting on the show.

Staying with Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park I noticed, on this trip, a difference in the Festival of the Lion King. At the end of the performance I attended the audience was told to remain in their seats until ALL the floats left the theater.

So I was thinking, "Why the change?" and I came up with two possible reasons. The first reason is that perhaps the crowd can clear the theater faster if they do not have to manuever around the huge floats.

An even more interesting theory is that maybe a guest was injured walking around the remaining floats thus the show directors felt it wise to do whatever possible to prevent that from happening again.

While on this trip I tried a few restaurants I had yet to experience….and here is my $.50 review on all of them.

Let me preface all these quickie reviews with a caveat that says regardless of what I or anyone else may say regarding a restaurant, our words should never deter you from trying it yourself. After all, why deny yourself a wonderful dining experience just because my taste may be different from yours?

Being an adventurous diner I like to try new experiences and restaurants all the time. One restaurant I had my eyes set on was Sanaa at Kidani Village. If you are into a combination of African and Indian cuisines then you should definitely take time to sample what Sanaa has to offer.

When it comes to Indian food I'm a tough marker. Sanaa came close for me but fell short in some areas. However I need to give Sanaa a Pass because I love spicy food and it would not behoove any restaurant to spice up their entrees too much. Sanaa is worth a try …make sure you park in the Rafiki parking lot of Kidani Village otherwise you will walk for ages looking for the restaurant.

For two years I have been meaning to try Animal Kingdom's Yak and Yeti. If I had known then what Iknow now I would have dined there first chance. The menu selections are, to say the least, very interesting. I ordered an appetizer and a very simple entree and was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the food and the portion. the portion size was just right...not too much...and not too litle.

Take note that, at least on this day, this restauant was not accepting Disney Dining Experience or Tables of Wonderland or whatever we are calling it these days but is on the Dining Plan …go figure.

I discovered something this month and that is that one WDW resort at times, based on room bookings, will alter its restaurant's operating hours.

The one I am aware of that does that right now is the Swan and Dolphin Hotels. This past trip in speaking with the managers of both the Garden Grove (Swan) and Mediterranean Fresh (Dolphin) restaurants I found out that the hotels discovered that if their room bookings have a large percentage of families and a lesser number of business people then it makes sense to limit or even eliminate lunch at a restaurant or two in the resort. This decision I feel is based on at least one and perhaps two theories.

If you are a family and are out and about in the theme park would you really come back to your hotel for lunch? Probably not.

Businesses which book conventions at the Swan and Dolphin hotels often have working lunches in which food is brought to the conference room.

So you see, it makes good business sense to study the habits of your guests as those habits will make you a better business person.

I point this out because if you have made ADRs for your upcoming WDW vacation you should confirm this ADR no closer than a week before your vacation...regardless of the ADR location...theme park or hotel.

It had been almost eight years since I had enjoyed an Illuminations Cruise and I had forgotten how unique a perspective one gets from watching Illuminations from the water’s level.

The experience will spoil you and will have you wanting to do it again and again. The boat is docked under the bridge that spans the United Kingdom and France pavilion in EPCOT. Consider splitting the cost of the experience with friends and you will have the time of your life.

I've done the cruise several times and each time I say to myself, "Why don't I do this more often?" think of it. Where else can you and nine of your friends enjoy Illuminations in a private comfortable setting?

I need to throw out a special shout out to Skipper Mike and Skipper "Nats" for a wonderful eperience, and to thank them for convincing Mother Nature to not rain on my Illuminations Parade.

As always the trip was too short. I always say to myself, "Well you didn't get to do this but you will next time."

I need to stop listening to myself.

Do you know what happened?

I kept putting off tasting that new orange-flavored Dole Whip. That's at the top of my list for my next trip.

You can be sure I will be MINDFUL of that.